The Gift
by orangepotato
Summary: "You didn't believe the façade everyone else did and at first, that scared me... Then I couldn't help but like it. I needed someone to see through me, to see me for what I really was." Zelloyd fluff.


A/N: This is loosely based on one of my favorite Christmas songs and I found that it actually suits Zelos and Lloyd's relationship. Just a nice story to wrap up the Holiday season. Enjoy.

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><p>The rich colored stockings hung by the fireplace, a warm blaze crackling inside. The red blaze ate away at the wood that fueled it, casting an orange light into the small room.<p>

Lloyd rested on a pure white couch that sat against a wall.

His eyes were closed, chest rising softly up and down. The light bathed him, his pale skin warm to the touch due to the heat radiating from the burning embers. Shuffling a bit, he turned on his side, resting his head on his bent arm. His brown locks spewed from his head, the mess of hair going limp from the day and hanging in his eyes.

The snow that was littered outside was trekked in, the brunette having busied himself all day with the white fluff. It'd been exciting, building snowmen, having a snowball fight and making snow angels, but it'd worn him out.

Now, he was content with resting by a warm fire.

The navy blue blanket that covered him slipped as he shifted again, the teen reaching a hand to yank it back over his torso. He was already haphazardly twisted in the sheet, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying to get it laid correctly.

After a few minutes of struggling with it, unsuccessfully, a light laugh reached his ears and he slid an eye open.

His russet orbs landed on Zelos and he felt a small smile tug at his lips.

The red head stood there with two steaming cups of cocoa, the sweet scent of chocolate filling the air. There was another sweet scent that graced the brunette, and as Zelos approached, Lloyd was able to figure out what was added to the drinks.

Spiced rum.

"You finally awake?" The ex Chosen of Tethe'alla questioned, settling himself down on the small space on the couch. He was nestled at the brunette's middle, shooting a smile down to the teen's face.

"I suppose," Lloyd commented, returning the smile. He struggled a little with his blanket as he sat up, reaching out for the mug of cocoa.

As his hands wrapped around the warm beverage, his fingers tingled. The smell, itself, was intoxicating, sending warmth through him without taking a single sip. As the fire sizzled nearby, he gave a slight smile to the brown liquid that Zelos had graciously adorned with thick white cream. Flecks of cinnamon topped the cream and were also, most likely, stirred in to the drink. The final touch, a large pink colored marshmallow, sat in the middle of the beverage, waiting to be devoured.

"This looks amazing," the brunette stated, awed.

Zelos smirked, "Just wait until you try it." Lloyd was ready to take a sip, but the red head held out a hand, "Careful, it's hot."

The brunette gave a nod, clasping the mug in his hands and settling it in his lap. He watched the steam roll into the air lazily then tossed a glance to the ex Chosen.

"Thanks."

"You're quite welcome. I thought you'd like it, given the fact that you were playing in the snow all day." He waved a hand vaguely, as if disgusted with the idea. After, he flicked his blue eyes to the teen with an easy smile plastered on his face, "Glad you're happy with it."

Bringing it to his mouth once more, the teen blew gently at the hot liquid, finally daring a sip. The spicy warm mixture graced his lips and he felt his insides instantly melt. It heated his body, slowly working its way to his chilled limbs. After a few more sips, he found his entire body humming with heat.

"God, this is amazing."

"Told you so."

Lloyd gave him a smile and then settled the mug back into his lap.

The fire gave a small pop, both turning to look at it. The warm blaze caused shadows to dance across the floor, the teen enjoying the contrast of red and black as the two colors mixed in the warm room.

As Zelos turned back towards the teen, Lloyd leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips. The red head was quick to return the favor, leaning in for a longer kiss. When they parted, the ex Chosen slid an arm around Lloyd's waist, tugging him with a little effort onto his lap.

The brunette faced outwards, his back to the Zelos' chest. Moments later, his arms wrapped around the teen's middle and his pale face snuggled at a shoulder.

Lloyd leaned back a little, getting comfortable as he took another sip of his cocoa.

"You know," Zelos spoke softly, his voice slightly muffled, "I use to hate winter."

The teen gave a short laugh, "I thought you still did."

He received a polite nudge for that, the red head smirking into his next statement, "Well, I used to hate it _more _than I do now."

"Alright, continue."

"It's just…" the ex Chosen's words trailed off, almost like he was giving them serious consideration, "When you came into my life, I was going through hell. Truthfully, almost my entire life has been that way. I'd given up on things turning out right for me…"

Lloyd remained quiet as the red head sucked in a breath. It was obviously hard for him to expose himself now, his words revealing the true pain that was hidden deep within in.

Zelos almost scoffed with his next statement, "That's when things really started to go downhill for me. I stopped caring about myself. I played my role, pretended to be someone I wasn't and kept up the charade of being the Chosen all while building a wall around myself."

Silence settled between them, his grip tightening a bit around the brunette's middle. The fire gave a soft wheeze, the wood crackling a bit and shifting as it was eaten away. The bark curled up in small spirals, turning black and flaking off before more was exposed to be consumed.

Zelos let out a shaky breath, "Then I met you. You saw past all of that, almost instantly. Sure, you weren't sure of what to make of me, but there was an immediate connection. You didn't believe the façade everyone else did and at first, that scared me. Hell, it even angered me and then…" He paused for a moment, like he was thinking up the right word, "Then I couldn't help but like it. I _needed _someone to see through me, to see me for what I really was."

He continued after taking another deep breath, "I was so God damn broken and you were the only one who saw that."

His grip tightened around Lloyd's middle and the teen rested his left hand on the clasped fingers.

Zelos smiled into the brunette's shoulder, "That's probably when I fell in love with you."

Lloyd smiled at that, his heart giving a small flutter at the words. He and Zelos had been dating for a few years now, but it was still difficult for the red head to mutter the word 'love'. The brunette understood, of course. The ex Chosen jumped into relationships but didn't commit himself to them. It was difficult for him to attach himself deeply to someone, mainly out of fear of getting hurt.

Many of the events in the red head's life had caused his harsh shallowness, even though the love he felt was genuine.

The teen rested his russet eyes on the fire as Zelos finished, "When you reciprocated my feelings, I felt like I didn't deserve it. I always hated when you'd do things for me or accept the stupid things I'd do. Then you'd always respond when I asked you 'why are you with me' with 'because I love you'."

Lloyd let the expression soak into his mind, focusing on the red head's words and the crackling fire. The logs peeled away, the fire taking over the newly exposed wood with a passion. There was fervor to the red flames, a renewed energy as 'what had been' was taken away and replaced with 'what was to come'.

"It took a long time to accept that and even now, you still haven't left my side. I don't know what I did to deserve you…"

The teen gave a small smile, sipping again at his cocoa, "You were you, Zelos."

"That's why I love you, Lloyd," the red head commented, burying his face into the teen's shoulder, "and I promise I'll never stop loving you."

Lloyd felt a shuffling at his hand, causing him to look down. He hadn't realized it before, the ex Chosen messing with his bare hand, but now it was obvious. As his eyes casted down, he saw the silver band that the red head had slipped onto his ring finger.

It reflected back the orange light, making the teen hitch a breath. His heart skipped a beat as he stared down, tears stinging the back of his throat. He didn't dare cry though, that'd make him feel more self conscious; however, he couldn't stop the small gasp of breath that entered his lungs.

Zelos' voice reached his ears, "Lloyd."

Lloyd almost dropped his mug of cocoa, his heart fluttering as the words bounced around inside his head.

The red head continued, "You gave me your love, Lloyd. You broke down the barriers and didn't ask for anything in return… I finally want to give you something." His hand moved the mug onto a nearby coffee table, pushing the teen to stand as Zelos did the same. As Lloyd turned to look at the red head, he received a smile, "I finally want to do something for you and the only thing I want to ask in return is…"

Zelos grabbed the teen's left hand, dropping himself to one knee before looking up at Lloyd.

The brunette felt his heart fluttering as he watched Zelos, tears threatening his eyes as Zelos glanced up.

With that, the red head spoke, "Lloyd, will you marry me?"

Lloyd couldn't stop a few tears from rolling down his face, but they quickly stopped. Instead, they were replaced with him laughing through the hiccups in his throat. He nodded, finally managing to speak, "Yes, Zelos, yes…" He dropped down to his knees and hugged the ex Chosen, smiling.

Arms embraced him back, only pulling away slightly after a moment so they could kiss.

Lloyd's lips pressed lightly to the red head's, the feeling warming him up as they wrapped each other in another embrace.

"I love you," Zelos whispered as he buried his face into the crook of Lloyd's shoulder.

The teen didn't hesitate to return, "I love you, too."

The fire crackled, the flame burning brightly. The orange flickered and danced with the black shadows it created, warming the room and the two people inside of it.

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><p>"<em>Sitting by the fire we made, You're the answer when I prayed, I would find someone, And baby I found you. All I want is to hold you forever, All I need is you more every day, You saved my heart, From being broken apart, You gave your love away, And I'm thankful every day, For the gift."<em>

_-The Gift_


End file.
